‘Idol’ Overthrows Castro

• by Ethan Miller more photos
• 'American Idol' contestant Jason Castro (R) arrives at the Mirage Hotel & Casino to see 'The...

Pardon my enthusiasm for never having to look at those dirty dreadlocks again, but it was way past time for Jason Castro to go. He has zero charisma. He can’t perform. And he has a lousy voice. (In my humble opinion.) So what if he looks and sounds a little like John Travolta?

He actually seemed a little relieved by Wednesday’s news. I think he stopped trying long ago. Like last week. Instead of learning his lyrics before meeting Neil Diamond, he allegedly hung out with his brother and a friend all weekend instead. He must not have bothered learning the lyrics to ‘Tambourine Man’ at all for Tuesday’s show. He hummed half the song.

He strikes me as the type of kid who’s never had to work for anything. And these kids work really, really hard. Perhaps he just doesn’t have the drive.

Or perhaps a fondness for certain kinds of recreational activity has killed Castro’s drive. In an EW interview he said, “What happens, happens. I'll sing, and if people like it, they like it. And if they don't, they don't. I'm kind of ready to go home."

I have absolutely no sympathy for someone with a rotten attitude like that.

On a more positive note, Syesha Mercado has a great attitude. She’d been getting beat up for awhile, but these past two weeks, she’s started to shine.

Mercado put everything she had into “Proud Mary” and “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Judge Randy Jackson wasn’t a fan of the second number, but I thought she looked and sounded surprisingly like a young Whitney Houston.

Mercado burst into tears after the three judges’ comments. Simon Cowell, who loved it, teased Jackson for making Mercado cry. Frankly, I think the pressure just got to her. Unlike Castro, Mercado was up to the challenge and got better.

The two Davids were great again, although Archuleta mopped up the stage with everyone this week. The little idiot savant sure can sing. His style is so mature and full of feeling for a seventeen-year- old. He radiates charisma. What’s weird, though, is how he turns into Rainman when the music stops. I think he’s the only contestant who takes a little yellow bus to the studio.

So, we’re one week closer to the David vs. David finals. That’s the consensus. Though I wouldn’t count Mercado out. That little spitfire is out to win.